Friday, 25 July 2014

Political Polarisation And Its Impact On Development

This year 2014, marks 21 years since constitutional rule was restored in Ghana.

During this period, the country has held six successful competitive
multi-party elections. Although these elections have been adjudged to be
generally peaceful and relatively credible, multi-party
politics in Ghana continues to be plagued by challenges such as
incumbency abuse, bitter and highly acrimonious governance and policy
making, among others.

The party in government and its counterparts in opposition are
constantly engaged in brinkmanship, which often compromise unity, peace and national development.

Countries in West Africa have, in
fact, undergone several political transitions; from multi-party
democracy, through one- party rule and military dictatorship, and then
back to multi-party democracy. Ghana as a country has undoubtedly
attracted the admiration of the global community as a result of the gains made in her constitutional democratic evolution since 1992.

This was further exemplified in the Supreme Court Election Petition,
which was considered by many as not only a test case but an important
leap in Ghana’s democratic dispensation.

However, given the recent
trend of political polarization and the winner takes all syndrome,
the country has two dominant political parties with roughly equal popularity, which provides a potential recipe for disaster;
particularly when one of the two major political parties becomes
intransigent and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political
opponent.

So when one party moves this far from the center of Ghanaian politics, it is difficult to enact policies responsive to the
country’s most pressing challenges and this affects the development, and popular grass root participation in governance.

Government after government over the years have preached the need for
an all-inclusiveness as a panacea and mechanism by which the political
polarization could be ventilated, with none actually demonstrating the
needed political will and commitment to this course after assumption
of power.

The situation is seemingly getting more compounded as the
phenomenon of political polarization is gradually taking tribal and
ethnic dimensions in Ghana’s body politics resulting in a systemic shift
from issue- based politics to personality attacks and deliberate
character assassination.

It is therefore not surprising to see the mounting tension, accusation
and counter accusation during every parliamentary and presidential
election in Ghana.

This is borne out of the winner- gains and the loser-loses attitude and mentality of the
“modern” Ghanaian politician, which has resulted in the creation of
artificial political seasons in Ghana, that run concurrently;-dry season
for the opposition and wet season for the political party in power.

In this current state of affairs, decency, decorum and civility in
politics have been thrown to the dogs, integrity is getting extinct and
the truth is sacrificed on daily basis for selfish interest.

The fundamental question is: how long in the name of democracy, can we
continue to gamble with and sacrifice Ghana;-her people, resources and
fragile peace on the altar of parochialism?

How long can we continue to lose the competence, expertise and
invaluable contributions of the opposition to national development
through this
cancer of exclusivity in governance?

Ghana is bigger than any
individual person, ethnic group or political party. What she needs to
grow even more is an all-inclusive celebration of a WIN- WIN situation
by all parties. Long live Ghana and long live democracy.

By James Ziekye Honorable Assembly Member of the Jirapa District Assembly in the Upper West Region